“Chamkega naam Rekha Gupta. Chamkegii Dilli (The name Rekha Gupta will shine. Delhi will shine),” was the message from the mother-in-law of Delhi Chief Minister-elect Rekha Gupta.

Rekha Gupta, the first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, defeated AAP candidate Bandna Kumari by over 29,000 votes in the February 5 Assembly polls. Notably, Ms Gupta contested the Shalimar Bagh seat in both the 2015 and 2020 Delhi elections but was defeated by AAP’s Bandana Kumari in both years.

Parvesh Verma, a top contender for the Delhi post, congratulated Ms Gupta, calling her appointment BJP’s commitment to “nari shakti”.

“For BJP, Nari Shaktikaran is not just a slogan but a commitment to fulfilling women empowerment. Delhi getting a woman Chief Minister is a proof of Modi ji’s commitment towards uplifting Nari Shakti,” said Mr Verma, who defeated Arvind Kejriwal in the polls.

Ms Gupta, 50, who was elected leader by the party’s newly elected MLAs on Wednesday, met Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and staked a claim to form a government in the national capital.

“Pehle saraa mahaul dekho, baraat Ka mahaul hai. Shaadi ke mahaul se bhi badhia lag raha hai (Look around, see for yourself. The mood is one of baarat. It is better than the mood at a wedding,” said the mother-in-law.

“Khushi ka mahaul hai. Sab kood rahe hain, nach rahe hain (There is an atmosphere of happiness. Everyone is jumping and dancing),” she added.

The mother-in-law also underscored that Ms Gupta was equally adept at household work.

“Woh ghar ka bhi kaam karti thi. Ghar se koi shikayat nahi hai (She also used to do household chores. There are no complaints on the home front),” she stressed.

Manish Gupta, Rekha Gupta’s husband, was equally excited accepting congratulatory messages from an enthusiastic crowd in front of their home.

“Bahut Khush hai, bahut excited hain. Modiji ki jai jaikar ho rahi hai. BJP ki jai jaikar ho rahi hai. Sab wahi celebrate karne ki liye ekatha hue hai. Rekha ji ka intezaar kar rahe hain (We are very happy and excited. Modiji is being praised. BJP is being praised. Everyone has gathered here to celebrate. We are waiting for Rekha ji),” Mr Gupta told NDTV.

New Delhi:

Women are at the centre of the BJP’s welfare measures, said Union Minister JP Nadda today as he released the first part of the party’s manifesto for the February 5 elections in Delhi. The senior BJP leader also assured the voters that all public welfare schemes will continue in the capital as he went on to accuse the ruling AAP of corruption.

The BJP’s ‘Sankalp Patra’ promises one-time financial assistance of Rs 21,000 and six nutritional kits to pregnant women, besides Rs 5,000 for the first child and Rs 6,000 for the second child.

He also announced a Mahila Smriddhi Yojana under which women will receive assistance of Rs 2,500 per month.

Recalling that the AAP had promised to give Rs 1,000 to women in 2021, Mr Nadda alleged the party has not fulfilled its promises – neither in Punjab nor in Delhi.

Read: BJP Says Delhi Welfare Schemes To Continue. AAP Asks Why Vote For You Then?

The government will also provide a Rs 500 subsidy on LPG cylinders, the BJP leader said, adding that the people will also receive two free cylinders on Diwali and Holi.

Mr Nadda has also assured that if the BJP comes to power in Delhi, it will enforce the centre’s flagship Ayushman Bharat health scheme in its first cabinet meeting. The AAP government had been opposing the central scheme stating that the city already has “superior” health schemes.

Senior citizens will also get an additional health cover of Rs 5 lakh, which will increase the total health cover given to the elderly to Rs 10 lakh, according to the manifesto.

He also announced a pension scheme under which senior citizens will receive Rs 2,000-2,500 in the 60-70 age group and 3,000 Rs for those above 70. For the Divyang and widow, the assistance will be increased to Rs 3,000.

Atal Canteens will be set up in every slum where a full meal can be availed at just Rs 5, he promised.

Mr Nadda, who is also the Union health minister, alleged the AAP’s Mohalla Clinics are “dens of corruption” where a scam worth Rs 300 crore had taken place. Once the BJP comes to power in Delhi, all allegations will be probed and those involved will be jailed, he promised.

New Delhi:

BJP rolled out a campaign song for the Delhi Assembly polls ‘Bahane Nahi Badlav Chahiye’ rendered by party MP Manoj Tiwari on Saturday. The song “Bahane Nahi Badlav Chahiye, Delhi Mein BJP Sarkar Chahiye” (need change not excuses, Delhi requires BJP government) reflects the mood of the city to oust the Aapda (AAP) government that “cheated” people with false promises and set record of corruption, charged Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva.

The song was launched officially during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Parivartan Rally” last week in Rohini, now it has been rolled out extensively for the poll campaign, he said at a press conference.

बहाने नहीं बदलाव चाहिए
दिल्ली में भाजपा सरकार चाहिए-श्री @ManojTiwariMP pic.twitter.com/cV1f684Nam

— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) January 11, 2025

Mr Sachdeva alleged that the people of Delhi are fed up of Mr Kejriwal’s party looting them and they want to bring the BJP into power.

Mr Tiwari, a three-time BJP MP from North East Delhi and a popular singer-actor, said that there are times one is required to give voice to the people’s feelings. This song represents that time one time for him.

“The theme song summarises the manifesto,” said Mr Tiwari humming a few lines at the press conference.

The BJP is yet to come up with its manifesto for the elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly scheduled on February 5. The party has so far released a list of 29 candidates and the next list is expected soon. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced its candidates in all 70 seats and recently launched its campaign song “Phir Layenge Kejriwal” in the run-up to the polls.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday described the two projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as milestones for Delhi’s infrastructure and claimed they were joint ventures between the central and the city governments.

PM Modi inaugurated a 13-kilometre stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor from Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad to New Ashok Nagar here and the Janakpuri West-Krishna Park Extension section of the Delhi Metro’s Phase IV.

During a press conference, Mr Kejriwal congratulated the people of Delhi and asserted that the projects were a collaboration between the city and the central governments.

Taking a dig at his critics, Mr Kejriwal said, “These inaugurations are a reply to those who say AAP only engages in fights.” Referring to the challenges faced by his party, he claimed AAP leaders were imprisoned and tortured but maintained their focus on governance.

“Over the past 10 years, our tenure has shown how we kept work above everything else,” he said.

He also hit out at PM Modi, alleging that the prime minister devoted the majority of his speech to criticise the Delhi government.

Mr Kejriwal said, “Today, the prime minister kept abusing the people of Delhi and the elected government of Delhi. I was listening to it, it felt bad. The promise made by the prime minister in 2020 — the people of Delhi Dehat are still waiting for that to be fulfilled.” 

The former chief minister also urged PM Modi to fulfil the promises made in the BJP’s election manifesto.

With elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly due in February, Mr Kejriwal’s remarks underlined AAP’s focus on development amid its continuing tussle with the Centre.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The BJP will not project a Chief Ministerial candidate for the Delhi polls and a “big name” will contest against Arvind Kejriwal, top party sources told NDTV on Friday.

Not naming a Chief Minister is a strategy that the BJP has followed in Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, among other states.

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party or AAP – earlier than other parties in the poll race – has already announced candidates for all 70 seats for the elections due early next year.

The sources said that the BJP is “extremely confident” of giving a tough fight in the New Delhi seat held by Arvind Kejriwal and a “big name” will be contesting against the former Chief Minister.

Days after securing bail in the liquor policy case in September, Mr Kejriwal quit as Chief Minister naming Atishi in his place.  

“I got justice from the legal court, now I will get justice from the people’s court. I will sit on the Chief Minister’s chair only after the order of the people,” said Mr Kejriwal in September, who is now on a padyatra (foot march) across all Delhi constituencies.

The BJP plans to target the Delhi government over alleged corruption, said the source, adding anti-incumbency is the other point on which the BJP is banking on.

Former BJP MPs and those who were not given the ticket in 2024 Lok Sabha polls may be asked to contest the Delhi polls, the source said further.

Some seats will also be distributed between Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United, BJP allies.

On Wednesday, the BJP announced a 21-member State Election Committee tasked with screening of potential candidates. Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-chaired Central Election Committee will meet to take the final call.

In 2015, the AAP won 67 seats and the BJP just three. In the next election in 2020, the AAP won 62 seats and the BJP eight. The Congress failed to open its account on both occasions.
 

New Delhi:

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused the BJP of orchestrating large-scale deletions of voters’ names from the electoral rolls in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections.

Kejriwal claimed that BJP leaders had submitted applications to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to remove thousands of voter names from constituencies like Shahdara, Janakpuri, and Laxmi Nagar.

Citing the example of Shahdara, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP had applied to delete 11,018 voter names from the constituency.

“When we randomly checked 500 of these names, we found that 75 percent of the people are still residing at the listed addresses. This is nothing but an attempt to manipulate the electoral process,” he said.

The AAP leader connected the alleged deletions to the saffron party’s narrow victory in Shahdara during the 2020 Assembly elections, where AAP won by a margin of just 5,294 votes.

He argued that removing 11,000 voters — about 6 per cent of the total electorate in the constituency — could significantly affect the outcome.

Meanwhile, the district magistrate of Shahdara refuted Kejriwal’s claims in a post on X, stating, “Only 494 Form 7 (deletion application) requests have been received in the Shahdara constituency since October 29, 2024. The claim of 11,018 deletion requests is factually incorrect.” To support his allegations, Kejriwal presented several individuals at the press conference, whose names he claimed were targeted for deletion.

“These voters are alive and continue to live at the same addresses listed on the voter rolls. For instance, Upendra Kumar resides at A-334, Uma Devi at B-8 Ambedkar Nagar, and Sunil Kumar at B-326,” he said.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva dismissed Kejriwal’s allegations as “baseless” and accused AAP of shielding fraudulent voters.

“Rohingyas and Bangladeshis are being caught, and Kejriwal is panicking because this vote bank, funded by money he allegedly receives from foreign sources, is being exposed,” Sachdeva said.

“The greatest strength of Indian democracy is free speech, but the baseless comments made against constitutional institutions need to be examined.” Kejriwal also accused the ECI of “secretly processing deletion requests without transparency.” He called for all deletion applications to be published on the ECI website and demanded a halt to deletions initiated after October 18.

There was no immediate response from the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer regarding the allegations.

Terming the voter deletions a “conspiracy to disenfranchise citizens,” Kejriwal said, “The BJP knows it is losing the elections, which is why it is resorting to such unfair tactics.” He warned of legal action against officials involved in any irregularities.

The Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for February, are crucial for AAP, which is seeking a third consecutive term after securing a landslide victory in 2020, winning 62 out of 70 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Street vendors at a vegetable market in Delhi’s Najafgarh will have to display their names on carts in a move the local councillor and the market association claimed was aimed at preventing “illegal” Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants from selling produce there.

The market association has also directed the vendors to display their phone numbers on nameplates on the carts, which will have a unique “thela number” issued by it.

The decision to implement this plan was made in a meeting of the market association with the local councillor earlier this month, following complaints of unidentified sellers, suspected to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, selling produce.

Local BJP Councillor Amit Kharkhari said the move was not meant to discriminate against anyone or any particular community but for security.

Nazafgarh Vyapar Mandal President Santosh Rajput told PTI, “We have asked all street vendors in the area to submit identity documents such as Aadhaar for verification.” This record will be maintained by the market association and submitted to the local police as well as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for security purposes, he added.

The association said there were around 300 street vendors who sold farm produce in the market area.

There are plans to complete the verification process by November 20, Rajput said.

“With this move, we aim to improve the system in the vegetable market. If the names and phone numbers of vendors are displayed on their carts, any buyer with a grievance can report it to us. This will also help us identify illegal migrants selling goods. We will forward their details to the MCD and the police,” he said.

Anyone who does not have a nameplate will not be allowed to sell their produce in the market, he added.

Kharkhari said the decision to implement the action was taken unanimously by the market association and locals during a meeting at his office.

“This is not being done to discriminate against anyone or any particular community. This is just for security. We have received several complaints about unauthorised persons operating in the market. Keeping this in mind, the decision was made and is being implemented,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Delhi unit of BJP has sent a defamation notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and minister Atishi after she alleged that the BJP approached her with a request to switch over. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva told the media today that they have sent the notice and demanded a public apology from Ms Atishi.

“Atishi failed to provide evidence of who approached her, how and when. The AAP is undergoing a crisis in Delhi, which is why they are making such baseless allegations out of frustration. But we will not let her get away with this,” he said.

In a press meet yesterday, Ms Atishi said, “The BJP has approached me through someone very close. They have asked me to join the BJP and said this will save my political career. They have threatened that if I don’t switch over, ED (Enforcement Directorate) will arrest me within a month.”

She also claimed that she and three other AAP leaders — Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP MP Raghav Chadha and party MLA Durgesh Pathak — may be arrested over the next couple of months.

She said the person who approached her on behalf of the BJP had said the ruling party had “made up its mind on crushing everyone in AAP”.

“First, they put everyone in AAP’s leadership in jail. Satyendra Jain, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and now Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been arrested. The BJP’s plan is to arrest four more AAP leaders in the next two months. They will arrest me, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha,” she said. Sanjay Singh has been granted bail and will be released today. 

Mr Sachdeva today dared the Delhi minister to submit her phone to an investigation agency to prove her claims.

The Delhi BJP’s lawyer said the party has sent a defamation notice to Atishi to withdraw her statement, which he termed “false, defamatory, and concocted”. If she cannot prove her claim, they will take more legal steps, the lawyer said.